Basketball fans in the Denver area suffering from Nikola Jokic withdrawal can breathe a sigh of relief.
You’re still looking at a two-month wait for Nuggets opening night, but at least you can watch Jokic in the meantime. Denver’s three-time MVP is suiting up for his national team at FIBA EuroBasket, the European championship tournament soon to be played across several countries from Aug. 27 through Sept. 14.
Thanks to Jokic’s participation, Serbia is considered the favorite to win gold. The team mowed through six exhibition games this month, aided by a collection of EuroLeague veterans and NBA role players such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic and Nikola Topic. Jokic is also accompanied by Nuggets assistant coach Ognjen “Ogi” Stojakovic and head athletic trainer Jason Miller, both of whom also worked on Serbia’s sideline during the 2024 Olympics.
Needless to say, the Nuggets’ fingerprints are all over the Serbian national team, which won bronze in Paris, silver at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and nothing at EuroBasket in 2022. To claim gold this time, Jokic and company will have to survive a 24-team field that’s divided into four groups of six.
They’ll play five games in a round-robin group stage, with the top four teams advancing out of each group to the knockout stage. Then it’s classic single-elimination for the last 16.
Here’s how to watch and what to expect in the group stage, which also features another new Nuggets player.
Serbia schedule: How to watch Nikola Jokic’s games
Aug. 27: Serbia vs. Estonia, 12:15 p.m. MT
Aug. 29: Serbia vs. Portugal, 12:15 p.m. MT
Aug. 30: Serbia vs. Latvia, 9 a.m. MT
Sept. 1: Serbia vs. Czechia, 12:15 p.m. MT
Sept. 3: Serbia vs. Turkey, 12:15 p.m. MT
EuroBasket games will be available to stream with a subscription to Courtside 1891, which is offered at $29.99 for one year. FIBA may also broadcast certain games on its YouTube channel.
Group A: Riga, Latvia
Teams: Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey
Serbia is almost a lock to make it out alive, especially considering that only two teams will be eliminated. But there are at least a couple of opponents capable of pulling off an upset. One is Latvia, which hosts the group and features a former NBA All-Star in Kristaps Porzingis. Ranked ninth in the world by FIBA, Latvia has played high-speed, high-scoring exhibitions this summer. Riga will be a tough road environment to conquer.
Then Jokic will face off with another All-Star center in the group finale: Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, who famously models his game after Jokic and whose Houston Rockets will pose a threat to Denver next season. Turkey’s squad also includes former Cavalier Cedi Osman, current 76er Adem Bona, and Panathinaikos 7-footer Omer Yurtseven. Most likely to be eliminated: Estonia and Portugal.
Group B: Tampere, Finland
Teams: Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Montenegro, Sweden
The teams that advance from Group A and Group B will match up in the round of 16, meaning Serbia is likely to face a dangerous opponent in its first knockout game. Despite being the only group without a perennial NBA MVP candidate, this is probably the closest there is to a group of death, with four top-20 teams in the FIBA world rankings. Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is lacing up for the Finnish team; Orlando Magic standout Franz Wagner and FIBA demon Dennis Schroder are reuniting to lead the reigning World Cup champion Germans; Bulls center Nikola Vucevic plans on this being his final international tournament before he retires from Montenegro’s national team.
The group is stacked with NBA talent — even one of the newest Nuggets. Lithuania is fending without Domantas Sabonis, Matas Buzelis, and Kasparas Jakucionas this summer, leaving Denver backup center Jonas Valanciunas as the centerpiece of the roster. Even in the absence of so much talent, the Lithuanians looked formidable in their exhibition games. Most likely to be eliminated: Sweden and Great Britain.
Group C: Limassol, Cyprus
Teams: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Spain
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious X-factor, as the Greeks try to build on their quarterfinal appearance at the Olympics. Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, Greece is similar to Milwaukee in its troubling lack of roster depth to help him out. He’ll start with a manageable group, at least. Spain is a perennial power with a 2022 European title to defend, but its roster is a bit weaker and a lot younger this time around. National team legends Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull both retired from international play after the Olympics, leaving 24-year-old Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama as the face of the team alongside the Hernangomez brothers.
The Italians are also ushering in a new generation behind former Nugget Danilo Gallinari, who’s still on the national team at 37. Their youth has put together an impressive run of international friendlies this summer, led by Miami’s Simone Fontecchio in wins over Latvia and Argentina. In a group that’s not particularly deep — other NBA headliners include Bosnia’s Jusuf Nurkic and Georgia’s Sandro Mamukelashvili — Italy should have enough to advance. Most likely to be eliminated: Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Group D: Katowice, Poland
Teams: Belgium, France, Iceland, Israel, Poland, Slovenia
Even without Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, France’s lead-up to the tournament has been smooth sailing. The Olympic silver medalists will be displaying their impressive depth at EuroBasket, with a roster that still includes Guerschon Yabusele, Bilal Coulibaly, and the top two picks of the 2024 draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr.
France takes on Luka Doncic and the Slovenians on Aug. 30, which should be the most exciting day of the group stage, with other matchups including Serbia vs. Latvia, Germany vs. Lithuania, and Montenegro vs. Finland. Ex-Nugget Vlatko Cancar won’t be joining Slovenia this summer, but Doncic might not need much help: He seems to be on a mission to spite Mavericks GM Nico Harrison this offseason. Most likely to be eliminated: Iceland and Belgium.
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